A gaming table with an upper surface that includes a gaming chip placement area and a lower surface opposite the upper surface is provided. The gaming table also includes a housing coupled to one of the upper surface and the lower surface of the gaming table, an antenna coupled to the housing, wherein the antenna is configured to form an electromagnetic field that defines a zone of communication in which a gaming chip including a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag can be read. The gaming table also includes a substantially-contiguous highly permeable magnetic material layer coupled to the antenna, the highly permeable magnetic material layer defining an outermost boundary of the zone of communication of the antenna, such that a strength of the electromagnetic field at any region beyond the defined boundary of the zone of communication is below a threshold level for communication with an RFID gaming chip, and a reading device coupled to the housing, wherein the RFID reading device is configured to read data transmitted by an RFID gaming chip when the RFID gaming chip is in the zone of communication.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. An RFID reading device comprising: a housing; an antenna coupled to said housing, said antenna configured to emit an electromagnetic field that at least partially defines a zone of communication in which a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag can be read; a highly permeable magnetic material layer coupled to said housing and proximate to the antenna, said highly permeable magnetic material layer defining an outermost boundary of the zone of communication of said antenna, and further directing the electromagnetic field so as to form a zone of communication, such that a strength of the electromagnetic field within the zone of communication enables reading of an RFID tag within the zone of communication, and the strength of the electromagnetic field at any region beyond the defined boundary of the zone of communication is below a threshold level for communication with an RFID tag; and an RFID reader coupled to said housing, wherein said RFID reader is configured to read data transmitted by an RFID tag when said RFID tag is in the zone of communication.
2. The RFID reading device of claim 1 , wherein the highly permeable magnetic material layer is positioned around three sides of the antenna.
3. The RFID reading device of claim 1 , wherein the highly permeable magnetic material layer is positioned around three sides of the antenna and the zone of communication includes a volume adjacent the open side of the highly permeable magnetic material layer.
4. The RFID reading device of claim 1 , wherein the highly permeable magnetic material layer is positioned around three sides of the antenna and the zone of communication includes a volume adjacent the open side of the highly permeable magnetic material layer, the electromagnetic field associated with the zone of communication having sufficient strength to extend through a surface traversing the zone of communication.
5. The RFID reading device of claim 1 , wherein the surface traversing the zone of communication is non-magnetic.
6. The RFID reading device of claim 1 , wherein the highly permeable magnetic material layer further comprises a plurality of layers of material.
7. The RFID reading device of claim 1 , further comprising an electromagnetic shield, the highly permeable magnetic material layer positioned the antenna and the electromagnetic shield.
8. The RFID reading device of claim 1 , wherein said highly permeable magnetic material layer shapes the electromagnetic field to extend substantially in a direction perpendicular to said antenna.
9. The RFID reading device of claim 1 , wherein said highly permeable magnetic material layer redirects a direction of the electromagnetic field such that the electromagnetic field cannot power a RFID chip located beyond the defined boundary of the zone of communication.
10. The RFID reading device of claim 1 , wherein said antenna has a substantially planar form.
11. A system comprising: at least one server comprising a memory configured to store tracking data for a plurality of RFID (radio frequency identification) tags; and a plurality of locations communicatively coupled to said at least one server via a network, at least some of the locations comprising: an RFID reading device positioned to read RFID tags in a zone of communication of the RFID reading device, the RFID reading device including: a housing; an antenna coupled to said housing, said antenna configured to emit an electromagnetic field that at least partially defines the zone of communication in which a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag can be read; a highly permeable magnetic material layer coupled to said housing and proximate to the antenna, said highly permeable magnetic material layer defining an outermost boundary of the zone of communication of said antenna, and further directing the electromagnetic field so as to form the zone of communication, such that a strength of the electromagnetic field within the zone of communication enables reading of an RFID tag within the zone of communication, and the strength of the electromagnetic field at any region beyond the defined boundary of the zone of communication is below a threshold level for communication with an RFID tag; and a reader coupled to said housing, wherein said RFID reader is configured to read data transmitted by an RFID tag when said RFID tag is in the zone of communication, said RFID reading device communicating to the at least one server that a particular of RFID (radio frequency identification) tag was or is in the zone of communication of the RFID reading device.
12. The system of claim 11 , wherein a location of the RFID reading device and identifying information associated with a read RFID tag are stored in the memory of the at least one server.
13. The system of claim 11 , wherein a location of the RFID reading device, a time the RFID is in a zone of communication, and identifying information associated with a read RFID tag are stored in the memory of the at least one server.
14. The system of claim 11 , wherein placement of the RFID reading device is adjustable to adjust the placement of the zone of communication.
15. The system of claim 11 , further comprising a switch configured to prohibit at least one of said plurality of RFID reading devices to read data transmitted by said plurality of RFID tags when said switch is in an off position.
16. The system of claim 11 , further comprising a processor in communication with said plurality of RFID reading devices, said processor configured to process and manipulate data sent from said plurality of RFID reading devices.
17. The system in accordance with claim 11 , wherein the highly permeable magnetic material layer shapes the electromagnetic field to extend substantially in a direction parallel to at least some surfaces of the highly permeable magnetic material layer.
18. The system in accordance with claim 11 , wherein the RFID reading device can be configured with one of a plurality of antennas and one of a plurality highly permeable magnetic material layer shapes to produce different shapes of the zone of communication.
19. An antenna assembly comprising: a housing coupled to one of a surface at a location; an antenna coupled to said housing, said antenna configured to form an electromagnetic field that defines a zone of communication in which a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag can be read; a substantially-contiguous highly permeable magnetic material layer coupled to said antenna, said highly permeable magnetic material layer defining an outermost boundary of the zone of communication of said antenna, such that a strength of the electromagnetic field at any region beyond the defined boundary of the zone of communication is below a threshold level for communication with an RFID gaming chip, or such that said highly permeable magnetic material layer redirects a direction of the electromagnetic field so that the electromagnetic field cannot power a RFID chip located beyond the defined boundary of the zone of communication; and a reading device coupled to the housing, wherein the RFID reading device is configured to read data transmitted by an RFID tag when the RFID tag in the zone of communication.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
January 14, 2013
April 8, 2014
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